Every year, one of the highlights of the holy season of Navratri are the public garba events - a joyful celebration of faith through music and dance to which all have been welcome, to the extent that India's Foreign Minister led a bunch of foreign diplomats to a garba celebration in Vadodara. But now, hate, bigotry and violence has cast its shadow over the garba. It all began with MP's culture minister making alarmist and divisive claims. Not long after, the attacks began - video after viral video of Hindutva vigilantes singling out Muslim men attendees of garba events across Madhya Pradesh, beating them up, claiming they were harassing Hindu women. The worst-hit was the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh's commercial, vibrant hub, which witnessed multiple such attacks.
